Vanessa Daley, manager of the Garstang branch of Reeds Rains, has selected a home on Garstang Road, Catterall, with an asking price of Price £249,995.

Here’s what Vanessa says about the property...

Welcome to this stunning, traditional, semi-detached family home built in 1930s and which has been lovingly restored by the present owner.

The original external wooden door with stained glass windows leads into the hallway with stripped floorboards and wooden spindled staircase leading to the first floor.

The spacious lounge has stripped floorboards and the black cast iron gas stove set on a stone hearth creates a lovely feature in the room, which is flooded with natural light from the large wooden bay window.

On entering the second reception room, which is used as the dining/sitting room, the focal point is the fireplace, which has a marble inset, bespoke wooden surround and electric fire. There is stripped wood flooring and double wood French doors leading out into the lovely enclosed rear garden.

The “heart of the home”, which is the country style kitchen/breakfast room, is fitted with attractive shaker style wall and base units complemented by wooden worktops, cream tiled splash backs and inset Belfast Sink.

In the dining area of this kitchen there is a bay window with a built-in window seat incorporating storage and a wooden stable door leading into the side courtyard style garden. The high quality Karn-Dean flooring extends from the kitchen into the downstairs WC.

On the first floor the landing has stripped wood flooring and a feature stained glass window plus access to the three attractive bedrooms and the fully tiled family bathroom and separate WC.

There is an added bonus of an extra room in the loft, which is accessed by a pull down ladder on the landing and has velux window and under eaves storage.

To the front of this property there are double wrought iron gates opening into a large garden enclosed by hedging and offering ample parking space and access to a brick built garage.

To the side there is a lovely courtyard garden with outhouses and access to the rear, private, landscaped garden featuring a rockery area, a selection of raised beds, a flagged patio and a water feature perfect for relaxing in the long summer months.

Getting to the shops, schools. church or the pub should be a doddle for anyone wanting to rent 2 North Croft,

For this spacious detached family home is within easy walking distance of all those amenities and more and it also has easy access to the A6, the M6 and routes to the Lakes.

The house is set in pleasant and well maintained garden areas to both the front and the rear, the latter being lawned with a paved area and flower beds.

Parking is also helped by the property having a driveway and there is a detached double garage.

Number 2 North Croft is entered through the hall, from which there is a cloakroom and the stairs leading up to the first floor. The lounge is a good-sized and attractive room, off which is the conservatory, which provides another area for relaxation and family occasions.

The modern dining kitchen has fitted wall and floor units plus integrated appliances, and there is a useful utility room leading off this area.

Stairs go up to the first floor landing, off which is the master bedroom.

This has fitted wardrobes and an en- suite shower room.

The second bedroom also has fitted wardrobes, while bedrooms three and four are fitted with cupboards and desks.

These last three bedrooms are served by the family bathroom and the whole property is double glazed and has gas central heating.

Layout: A spacious detached family home set in pleasant gardens with hall, cloaks, a modern dining kitchen, good-sized lounge, conservatory, stairs to the landing off which are four fitted bedrooms (the master with en suite shower room) and a family bathroom.

Agent: Farrell Heyworth 7 High Street, Garstang

Tel: 01995 600666

Price: £895pcm

New licencees have taken the helm at a Chorley pub, and they’re hoping to fly the flag for British food.

Jamie Rankin and his wife Amanda have taken charge of The Railway in Euxton.

Jamie has 18 years of fine dining from across the Atlantic under his belt, including experience as an executive chef in restaurants and resorts in New York, Florida, Massachusetts and Chicago.

He said: “We’re really looking forward to building a reputation as a destination pub that’s great for food.

“With my background in fine dining, we will be serving dishes that are well designed and presented, all prepared from local ingredients with great care.”

Amanda has lived in the Euxton for 28 years and Jamie ignited his passion for cooking at the nearby Leyland Golf Club, before moving to the US and graduating from the University of New York with a degree in business management and culinary art.

He said: “I missed the community feel of home after a while.

“The Railway is a lovely pub with a warm atmosphere and we’re really excited.”

Two new businesses have been given almost £15,000 in grants to help them thrive.

Butter Boutique on Fazakerley Street and Fabulous Floors and Furnishings on Market Street have been handed grant support to the tune of £11,000 and £3,354 respectively by Chorley Council.

Cheryl Moran, who manages Fabulous Floors and Furnishings, on Market Street, said the shop had benefited from a business rate subsidy, shop floor refurbishment grant and shop front improvement grant.

She said: “The grant was a great help getting the business started and trading has been successful.”

Kate McCullagh opened Butter Boutique, on Fazakerley Street, in November last year and applied for the grant to help support her new business. The application was successful and she now receives a subsidy of £3,354.75 – a 50 per cent contribution to her business rate.

Kate, 27, from Heath Charnock, said: “I’ve wanted to open a fashion shop since leaving school so I’d been saving up for the right time.”

Coun Alan Cullens, who has responsibility for town centre development at Chorley Council, said: “One of the council’s priorities is to help local traders and attract new businesses to the town centre.

“These grants were created to do just that and have been an undoubted success.

“It’s important we continue to support new and existing local business in Chorley to help them develop and flourish in these difficult economic times.”

Food is the best way to a man’s heart so ROBERT KELLY wondered if it was the same for women by taking his wife out.

I always seem to get in trouble every Valentine’s Day...and before you start to ask it was not because I forget to get my wife a card.

Each year I try to surpass my romantic gifts or presents. including getting a bunch of flowers and teddy to be delivered to her in her lectures.

Anyway this was no different as after agreeing to not buy each other presents I decided to get her a card and some roses.

To some that might be not much of a big deal but then I booked a table at one of the first restaurants we ever went to together....Alghero .

We have always had a love and passion for Italian cuisine so I thought that I would not go far wrong by getting a table there.

I had to use all my powers of persuasion to get her to go out for our first dinner as a couple since our baby Eoin was born.

Being Valentines’ Day I was not alone in trying to treat my loved one for all those times I have left my shoes across the floor or the toilet seat left up as we walked to the conservatory.

Even though we were sat in an open space with lots of other couples the owners have obviously taken into account the occasion with lighting giving each table a bit of privacy.

We decided to look at the starters off the specials menu with Carolyn opting for the filo pastry with a hot sweet chilli sauce which started the evening with a bit of a kick.

I opted for the bruchetta which was served with meatballs and a tangy and tasty tomato sauce.

To accompany this we got a tomato garlic bread (£3.75) which was full of flavour but at the same time it was not overpowering with garlic for the breath test after the meal.

At this point, I must admit that my waistline was starting to feel the pressure and I was tempted to loosen my belt.

After scanning through the menu looking at my options I considered the capricosa pizza (£8.25) which was topped with a ham and mushroom.

I even weighed up the Pollo Alla Crema (£13.95) which was sliced chicken with a white wine and cream and mushroom sauce.

Even Carolyn was shocke d when I finally decided on the Tortellini al Proscutto et Funghi (£8.50) which was pasta in a creamy sauce with ham and mushrooms.

As any of our regular readers know that my eyes are bigger than my belly but on this occasion I feel the chef had got the portions right as there was a reasonable serving to accompany the chips that I ordered.

The only drawback was that the restaurant was full otherwise I was tempted to lick the plate of its cream sauce

Meanwhile, Carolyn plumped for the linguine pescatore (£8.95) which was a good option for her as she is a lactose intolerant pescatarian - not eat meat but can take fish.

There were no complaints from her and she seemed to be enjoying her meal while I was struggling with mine.

Amazingly, Carolyn asked if I wanted to a dessert so I did not turn it down and ordered the hot chocolate fudge cake while she went for her favourite sticky toffee pudding.

Both of them went down a treat and I am just glad that there were no stairs to climb to get back to our car.

It is all on one level like a massive bungalow and I think it is a taste of Italy - hidden gem off the M65 motorway.

We will be returning soon after this experience and we won’t be leaving it until the next Valentine’s Day.

Factfile

Name: Alghero’s Restaurant

Address: Bolton Road, Withnell

Telephone: 01254 202222

Food: Italian Cuisine with something for all tastes.

Rating: 10/10

Disabled Access: All on one floor but no disabled toilets

A ‘larger than life’ DJ who pledged to live life to the full after undergoing a heart transplant has died.

Jodie Finch, formerly of Mendip Road, Leyland, died in hospital on Friday where it is understood he was waiting for a further transplant.

The former Runshaw College student underwent a his first operation after a simple flu virus developed into a rare and life-threatening heart condition when he was 21. Tributes have poured in to the popular former DJ, who worked as a director at MOT testing centre Black Diamond in Warrington and was in his early 30s.

Jodie’s heart condition was revealed when, after recovering from the flu, he still felt weak.

He took a trip to the doctors where it was discovered he had contracted cardiomyopathy, a rare form of heart disease which causes the heart to become enlarged, reduces the force of heart contractions and decreases the circulation of blood through the lungs.

Former Leyland Trucks workers are being called upon to share their memories in front of an audience.

A production is being organised for people to tell their heartwarming or heartbreaking stories about their time working for the manufacturing firm.

The special event will see employees from the Leyland Motors, Trucks and DAF heyday recalling how they started working there, and how they came to leave.

Writer Sonia Hughes, who is organising the production, wants people who worked there in the 1980s and early 1990s to come forward with ideas.

She said: “I want people to tell stories about their working life; funny stories from when they were apprentices, or heartbreaking tales from when people were made redundant.

“I want a few people to stand on stage and talk about their time at Leyland Trucks.

“I’ll write the performance to help edit the order of the stories, so that the evening flows well.

“My job is to help people decide which parts of their memories to talk about and for how long, but they won’t have to memorise a whole speech.

“You can’t fail at telling your own story anyway.”

Around ten men from Leyland have showed an interest in her project so far, which is set to launch in September.

But Sonia also wants to speak to people for an ‘audio archive’ of memories.

She and historian Sharon Forrest want to record interviews with other former workers, and hope to find some willing participants as they organise the stage show.

“It’ll be like a night out at a social club,” Sonia said. “We’ll have rehearsals beforehand, but people know how to tell their own story.

“We’re looking for around five people to perform, but the more the merrier.”

The event will be held in a social club in Preston in September.

To get involved, call 0161 256 1234.

“There seem to be diversion signs around every corner at the minute.”

Roadworks are taking over in Leyland, as main roads have been closed and diversions are sending people round the bend.

Stanifield Lane in Farington is shut for much-needed drainage work, and Towngate and School Lane were also closed last week.

Coun Mike Otter, who represents Farington at South Ribble Council, said: “The roadworks are causing a lot of traffic build-up around Stanifield Lane, and the diversions are sending drivers round the back estates, so it’s quite chaotic.

“I’ve had quite a few complaints from elderly people who use the buses, because they have to walk a lot further to reach their stops now, and I sympathise with the impact the roadworks are having on people. There seem to be diversion signs around every corner at the minute.”

Work in Farington is expected to last for another week, but Coun Otter says it’ll be worth the inconvenience when it’s finished.

“There have been a lot of flooding problems round here over the years,” he said. “The end result is much-needed and will be a great benefit; it’s just causing people to suffer a little bit at the moment.”

The work at Towngate and School Lane, near Hough Lane, is now complete and the roads are open as usual, after they were closed during last week’s school half-term.

Julie Lawton, senior highways engineer at Lancashire County Council, said: “The work on Stanifield Lane and Moss Lane is still ongoing.

“This is more complicated as a blocked culvert is very inaccessible meaning the repair work takes longer.

“We’ve co-ordinated our work so we carry out our repair scheme at the same time as United Utilities, who are working on a sewer connection for Farington Lodge to avoid the same piece of road having to be closed more than once.”

- What do you think? Email guardian.newsdesk@lep.co.uk

Leyland Festival is set to be a two-week celebration this summer, it has been revealed.

South Ribble Council has confirmed it will be holding the festival to celebrate the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Last year, it coincided with the 60th anniversary of Worden Park’s Diamond Jubilee, after the park was opened to the public in 1951.

No firm plans have been announced about this year’s events just yet, but one historian has welcomed its return.

David Hunt, curator of South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Centre, said: “It’s really good news for Leyland, and I know the festival is much missed when it isn’t on.”

The festival was cancelled for a few years after the Millennium celebrations in 2000, but made a comeback in 2009.

It’s mainly been focused around the vehicle parade through Hough Lane for the past three years.

Last year, the celebrations guided families towards Worden Park for the first time in years, but it’s not been confirmed whether the same will happen this summer.

- Send in your Leyland festival memory pictures to kay.taylor@lep.co.uk

A £200,000 make-over at a popular Leyland pub is now underway.

The Railway, on Preston Road, is undergoing an extension, with a new entrance, staircase and disabled lift.

The work, which started in January, will also turn part of the upstairs living space back into a function room for the first time in 30 years.

Landlord Danny Hindle, who has run the pub and restaurant with wife Alison for the past four years, says they’ve already had 25 bookings for the new Railway Suite.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “People haven’t even seen the finished article yet and we’ve already got wedding anniversary and birthday parties booked, as well as Christenings.

“Everyone’s talking about it because we’re in a really prominent position.”

He added: “It’s really exciting for us because it was our idea to do this in the first place.”

The brewery, Punch Taverns, is paying for the building work, while Danny and Alison are paying for the furniture, carpets and lighting. They also want to use the function room for theme nights in the future, including a comedy club.

The main bar area is still open while the work takes place, and the new section will be completed by March 2.

An official opening is planned for March 3.

Jezebel – most recognise her as the notorious Biblical figure synonymous with power but forever tainted by her reputation as a treacherous ‘painted lady.’ Is her Old Testament story the truth, partly the truth or just a pack of lies?

The Book of Kings tells us that the Princess of Tyre who became Queen of Israel set off a period of bitter religious and political strife when she persuaded her husband to abandon the Jewish God Yahweh and worship the Phoenician god Baal.

By angering the vengeful Israelite priests, she signed her own death warrant...

Jezebel is the second sweeping and seductive Biblical saga from Eleanor de Jong who has found fertile territory in the ancient Holy Land for epic tales about some of the most controversial women of all time.

She specialises in taking female figures demonised by a history recorded predominantly by men and reimagining their loves and lives for a modern audience.

De Jong’s first novel, Delilah, featured the woman who famously seduced and betrayed Israelite leader Samson, and now she sets her sights on the beautiful and much-maligned Jezebel.

Jezebel, headstrong and determined, is destined to be married by her father King Ithbaal of Tyre as a pawn in a political game.

Led to believe that handsome Jehu, a Judean prince, will be chosen as her husband, she begins an illicit and passionate affair with him when he stays at her father’s court.

But when Jezebel is told she must instead marry Ahab, the middle-aged and shabby King of Israel, Jehu believes she has cruelly betrayed him.

Her destiny now lies with Ahab in Samaria, a city built on a great flattened mountain, where she is resented by her husband’s first wife and the Israelite priests who regard her as a ‘gaudy Phoenician harlot’ with ‘false gods.’

The years pass, and both Jezebel and Jehu nurse their secret. Jehu, unable to relinquish his love for Jezebel, grows bitter and twisted. But he is unaware of Jezebel’s greatest secret – that he is father to her eldest son, Ahaziah, the heir to Israel′s throne.

As her husband’s health deteriorates, Jezebel gradually assumes control of Israel but hatred of her is being fanned by firebrand prophet Elijah, one of the towering figures of the Old Testament, and his terrifying disciple Elisha.

And as they plot her downfall, Jehu circles closer and it seems the die has been cast. Can Jezebel finally take control of her own destiny or has her time already passed?

Grand in its scope and enthralling in its evocation of a courageous and doomed queen, Jezebel will delight fans of both history and romance.

(Avon, paperback, £7.99)